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Save the Date – Empower Youth Success 2027
April 12-14, 2027
Crowne Plaza Albany – The Desmond Hotel by IHG
Now Accepting Session Proposals
Come present at Empower Youth Success 2027, the statewide conference for afterschool, expanded learning, and community school professionals.
This is your opportunity to inspire, engage, and help shape the future of New York’s youth. We welcome diverse perspectives and innovative ideas that align with our conference themes. We offer 90-minute sessions and 45-minute speed sessions. Aim for hands-on, engaging sessions with tangible takeaways — they consistently draw the most interest at our conferences.
This event brings in hundreds of afterschool and community schools professionals (administrators, directors, teachers, frontline staff, and more) from across the state. Accepted primary/lead presenters receive free admission to the conference on the day of their presentation.
Two Request For Presenter (RFP) Forms
To ensure full transparency for our attendees between all the components of Empower Youth Success, we’re implementing two Request for Presenter (RFP) forms: one for out-of-school time (OST), afterschool, summer, expanded learning and one for Community Schools. You are welcome to submit session proposals to both RFP forms as aligns with the session topic needs listed below.
OST, Afterschool, Summer, Expanded Learning Session Topics
We are accepting RFP proposals in the following topics, but are open to new and innovative ideas.
- Child & Youth Development – Child Development, Guiding Children’s Behaviors, Positive Youth Development, Teen Programming, Safety & Supervision, Equity & Resilience, Restorative Practices.
- Social, Emotional & Behavioral Health – Behavioral Health, Social & Emotional Learning, MTSS/PBIS, Trauma-Informed Care, Culturally Responsive Practices, Resilience Building.
- Program Quality & Environments – Program Quality Improvement, Environments, Physical Activities/Team Building, The Arts, Language & Literacy Programs, 21st Century Skills, STEM/STEAM.
- Leadership & Professional Growth – Leadership Development, Staff Motivation & Supervision, Staff Retention, Professionalism, Equity in Leadership, Career Pathways.
- Family, School & Community Partnerships – Partnership Development, Family Engagement, Linkages Between Day and Afterschool.
- Program Operations & Sustainability – Administration & Management, Fiscal/Budgeting, Advocacy, Effective Boards & Committees, Program Sustainability, Measuring Outcomes/Evaluation.
- Other – Enter your session topic if it doesn’t fit into a category above.
Community Schools Session Topics
We are accepting RFP proposals in the following topics, but are open to new and innovative ideas. Community Schools session submissions should emphasize the Essentials for Community School Transformation Framework – see this document linked here.
- Essentials for Community Schools Transformation
- Enabling Conditions
- Collaborative Leadership
- Integrated Systems of Support
- Rigorous Community-Connected Classroom Instruction
- Supportive Infrastructure
- Other – Enter your session topic if it doesn’t fit into a category above.
All submissions are due by Friday, November 6, 2026.
All submissions will be notified by January 29, 2027.
Presenter RFP Q&A Webinar
We hosted a webinar for all interested presenters to learn more about Empower Youth Success 2027 and ask questions about the RFP submission process. A copy of the webinar recording and slides with hyperlinks are available here.
Presenter RFP Q&A Webinar Slides
Presenter RFP Q&A Webinar Recording
Date: Monday, October 19, 2026
Time: 2:30-3:15 PM
Questions?
Contact: Cara@NetworkforYouthSuccess.org
Art Contest
Calling All Young Artists!
We invite youth participating in New York State afterschool programs and/or community schools to share their creativity and submit artwork inspired by this year’s theme:
“Lighting the Way”
Show us what it means to feel welcome, supported, and empowered to shine! Through your artwork, celebrate the people, places, and experiences in afterschool programs and/or community schools that help young people feel a sense of belonging, discover their strengths, and light the way for themselves and others.
Submission Details
- Deadline: Friday, November 6, 2026
- Size: 8.5 x 11 w/ 0.5″ white margin on all sides
- Orientation: Portrait (no landscape format)
- Format: PDF
- Illustrated by a school-age student enrolled in an afterschool program and/or community school
- AI generated images will not be accepted
- Multiple submissions are accepted
The program that submits the winning artwork will receive a $100 Amazon gift card.
All artwork submitted may be featured in Network for Youth Success materials. Artists will be identified by first name, last initial, grade, the program they attend, and city.
Winners will be announced by December 16, 2026.
Print and hang this poster in your program and/or community school to get your students engaged!
